The Poet's Wish
by ReadingRed
Summary: A mysterious observer intervenes and Harry's life will never be the same. Time travel. Harry/Ginny. Young Harry. Formerly The Poem.
1. The Poem

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter One: The Poem

Six year old Harry Potter sat on his small cot in his tiny cupboard and looked down at the piece of paper he held in his hand. It was a poem. In school that day his teacher had the class write one for their mothers. It was almost Valentine's Day and the poems were to be gifts for the children's mothers. Harry had tried to tell her that he didn't have a mother but she had him write it anyway, saying with a sad smile that it would help him with his writing skills.

His teacher was a nice lady but the Dursleys were so mean and hateful that any kindness toward Harry would have severe repercussions. After a lifetime of punishment Harry very rarely made a fuss about anything so he dropped the matter and wrote the poem.

When he had first sat down with his crayon and construction paper Harry had wondered whether or not he should write this poem to his Aunt Petunia. He quickly nixed the idea. He knew that mothers were supposed to care for their children and love them and Aunt Petunia did anything but. He spent the entire class time trying to make the poem as good as possible.

He wanted his mother to be proud of him and even though he would never get to give it to her because she was dead, that sentiment still stood. It was the thought that counted.

So there it was, written with a green crayon on a pink piece of construction paper, a poem to his dead mother. It read:

_Mummy I miss you really bad._

_When I think of you it makes me sad._

_Sad because you're not here to kiss my hurts away_

_or to wish me "have a happy day"_

_you can't give me hugs_

_or tell me not to squash the bugs_

_I know you loved me while you could. I can feel it in my heart_

_But now you live in a world apart_

_All alone, I pray every night for a home_

_I know with you I had a place_

_The thought of it makes me feel like I won a race_

_Please come back if you can_

_I even thought up a plan_

_We can be together once again_

_Just ask God to let you be my angel_

With that Harry feel asleep, the poem to his mother clutched in his small hand on his chest. Unbeknownst to him someone was watching, and the little poem would be the catalyst that changed Harry's young life.

**Ok I hope you like it. Let me know in a review. I plan on writing a lot more to this story unless you all think it's complete as is. I tried to make the poem sound as if a child wrote it so it isn't my best piece of work, sorry. Please let me know of any spelling mistakes I have made. Thanks for reading and again, let me know what you think, good or bad, in a review.**


	2. The Watcher

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Two: The Watcher

Harry slept in a closet. He had ever since he could remember. There was not a lot of space to move around; in fact the cupboard could barely fit the small bed that was stuffed inside. Needless to say there was not room to hide. Besides, the Watcher who was watching Harry and who had heard him read his poem was not really there at all, he was watching the boy through a portal from a place very far away.

"Sleep tight, little Harry, for tomorrow will bring great changes to your life," the Watcher said. "I am not God, and I cannot bring your mummy back to life, but I will send you someone very special," the Watcher promised before closing the portal and starting on the task he had just set before himself.

Harry slept on, none the wiser to the Watcher's plans. The child dreamt of a Guardian Angel coming to rescue him from the clutches of his monstrous relatives. The guardian took Harry to a magical land where they lived in a wonderful house and Harry was loved. He dreamt of being allowed food on a regular basis, and of having kind words directed at him. Harry's dream was abruptly ended by the sound of heavy pounding feet on the stairs above his bed. Harry moaned at the loss of his perfect dream because, although it might not have seemed like much to some, for Harry that was a life he never expected to live. It was one he wasn't sure he even deserved.

"Boy! Boy, wake uuuuupppppp!" a young voice Harry recognized as his cousin's yelled through the door in a sing-song tone. His cruel cousin took great pleasure in tormenting him but there was nothing Harry could do about it; any retaliation on his part would bring the wrath of his uncle. Harry still had bruises from the last time that had happened. He quickly rose from his bed and donned the same shirt he had worn the day before. Harry was only allowed to do his wash once a week and he had already run out of clean clothes.

"Coming" Harry answered to his cousin's wake-up call. Pushing open the door to his cupboard and heading to the kitchen Harry thought back on his dream. He knew that it would never happen. He would stay in this same house serving his relatives every whim until they threw him out at age eighteen. Harry knew this to be true because his uncle told him nearly every day.

Harry knew what to do once he reached the kitchen;he was to start making breakfast. Taking food orders from his aunt, cousin, and uncle, Harry started on his work. Today it was eggy bread for all. They were going easy on him, usually he had to prepare three different meals and have them all done at the same time so the Dursleys could eat together as a family. Harry loved the days when they all wanted the same thing. The only time he was allowed to eat breakfast was when he finished the others' meals quickly enough for him to make his own and be done eating with enough time to get ready for school. Smiling to himself, and with the knowledge that he would eat today, Harry got the bread and eggs ready and lost himself in the chore.

Meanwhile, another Harry some distance in the future was having a morning quite out of the ordinary, even for him. And that was saying something.

Harry Potter was confused to say the least. One moment he had been speaking with the Headmaster's portrait at Hogwarts and the next he was in a white room. Thinking he had been kidnapped somehow by leftover Death Eaters who were too dumb to realize that their lord was gone he started devising a plan.

There was no way to tell where he was as there were no windows or even a door. Looking around the room, Harry saw that there wasn't a normal light source. Instead the walls themselves seemed to glow. It might even be comforting, the soft light that came through, if he weren't under the impression that he had just been kidnapped and was about to be murdered. Before Harry could think much more on his predicament, a _being,_for lack of a better word, appeared in the room. The _thing_ hadn't faded into form and his arrival brought no sound as was normal with apparition. He was simply there.

"Hello, friend," _It_said. The man-shaped figure wore a white robe that stretched to _Its _feet. The hood completely obscured _Its_ face so, Harry theorized, it was possible that the figure was human, but something inside told Harry that that wasn't true. Whatever this _being_ was, it wasn't human. It was something more.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded to know. The _being_ didn't even flinch; _It_ kept _Its_ body stock still. The being's mannerisms somehow came off as comforting rather than creepy; like the odd glowing walls, it was almost comforting, like the smile of a friend who is happy to see you.

"I am called many things, by many different mouths: Watcher, Changer, Helper. It is your choice; you may call me whatever you wish."

"Fine, Watcher, where am I? How did you bring me here? Why am I here?"

"You, Harry Potter, are in a different place. That is all I can say. I brought you here with my power. You are here to change your life." The Watcher had managed to answer every question without giving Harry any information; it infuriated him but with his Auror training Harry kept his calm.

"How am I to change my life?" Deciding to ask another question Harry thought it best to build upon the answer given by the Watcher. Somehow, without seeing the Watcher's face, Harry knew that the _being_ was smiling.

"If you so choose you will be sent to the past to take your younger self from the life of horror he would live and raise him as your son. He has asked for a Guardian Angel and I want to send him you. If you deny this opportunity I will return you to your own time and your younger self will lead the exact life you have." Pausing to give Harry a moment to think the Watcher then asked another question. "What do you choose?"


	3. The Answer

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Three: The Answer

Harry stared at the one called Watcher for a moment. It didn't take long for him to decide what he would do. There was not much left for him in his old life. Most of his friends had long since died. The magical world was barely hanging on, and to think that he could go back in time and not only give his younger self the life he deserved, but possibly change the outcome of the war was a chance that Harry hadn't ever thought possible. One he could not pass up.

There was only one thing that stopped him from immediately saying yes, his family.

Harry loved his wife, Ginny, more than anything else in the world; except, of course his son, Teddy. Together they were his life. He would do anything for them.

Harry and Ginny had been made legal guardians of Teddy when the boy was only three months old. After Tonks and Remus had been killed in an attack on their home, the little boy had been sent to live with his maternal grandmother.

Andromeda had tried to raise the boy but having a living reminder of the daughter she lost had been too much for her. She had been unable to bond with Teddy and instead of forcing him to live in a home where he would be taken care of but not truly loved she made the difficult choice to give him to Harry.

Those first few months with the baby had been difficult for Harry. He had been a teenager trying to raise a baby; it was only with Ginny's help that he had managed to do such a good job. Harry and Ginny had been together before they were given Teddy, but after the little boy had come into their lives was when their relationship truly began to flourish. They became partners in every sense of the word, depending on each other, not only on the battlefield, but now in the home as well. He would forever be grateful to Andromeda for giving them Teddy.

Harry and Ginny had officially adopted Teddy when he was a year old and they became a family. He couldn't imagine spending his life without them. That's when the solution came to him.

Praying the Watcher would say yes, Harry stated his position, "I'll do it, but only on one condition. Ginny, my wife, and Teddy, my son, have to be able to come too. I can't leave them alone in our old world. If I am going to the past they have to be with me. That's the only way I'll go." Harry looked directly at the Watcher, waiting for _its_ answer.

"Harry Potter, it will be as you ask. In a moment I will send you to young Harry, and your wife and son will be sent there too. You must know, though, that this is irreversible. I can never send you back to your own time. You are making this choice not only for yourself but for your wife and child as well. Are you sure this is what you want?" the Watcher asked.

Harry instantly replied "yes, this is what I want, and I know Ginny and Teddy would agree. She would never give up an opportunity to change the lives of so many people for the better, and Teddy is my son-I won't leave him alone in that world."

"As you wish." The Watcher waved his ghostly pale hand in a complicated manner and Harry knew no more.

Six year old Harry Potter was weeding the garden when something…..odd happened. One moment he was alone and the next a woman was on the grass next to him. The woman had a small boy wrapped tightly in her arms. They were both asleep so Harry took a minute to observe them-after all it wasn't every day people suddenly appeared right next to you. The lady had red hair and a kind face. Even though she was lying down Harry could tell she wasn't very tall, well, she was shorter than Aunt Petunia anyway.

The other boy had red hair, just like the lady, but his hair was very messy. The boy's hair was even messier than Harry's was and that was saying something. Aunt Petunia always told him that he had the messiest hair in the world. He knew she said it to hurt him, but he actually liked it. It made him feel like he had broken a record and should be in the Guinness Book. Harry shook off that train of thought and was about to reach over and tap her shoulder when she woke up.

Well, _woke up_ isn't really the right way of putting it, in reality she sprang up into a sitting position, her arms tightening even further around her little boy. Instantly awake and alert, she looked around and took in her surroundings before resting her gaze on him. Harry watched her eyes soften and her mouth form a small 'o' shape.

"Hello, child. What is your name?" Her voice was melodious and Harry instantly warmed to her. The little boy woke up and looked at him with a smile. Harry smiled back. Maybe this boy would be his friend.

"Harry, ma'am, Harry Potter." The lady gasped softly and appeared shocked for a moment, and then all of a sudden her eyes focused just over Harry's shoulder. She jumped to her feet, careful of the boy on her lap. She expertly transferred him to her hip and ran past Harry. Harry turned just in time to see her throw her free arm around a tall man. The other little boy smiled a huge smile and wrapped an arm around the man too. Harry watched them tighten their embrace and saw the man whisper something into the woman's ear.

She gasped again and turned her head to look at Harry, all the while never leaving the man's arms. She turned back to look at the man and asked something Harry couldn't hear. He saw the man nod, and then smile. The lady stepped out of the hug and took the man's hand instead.

"Harry? Would you come here, please?" Harry stood and walked over, obediently.

"Harry, this is my husband," she said motioning to the man at her side. "And this is my son, Teddy," she said with a warm smile, "and I'm Ginny."

"Hello, Harry," the man said in a strong, kind voice. It was the type of voice Harry often imagined his father might have had. Harry studied the man. His hair was messy, just like Harry's, and his eyes were the exact same shade of green. The more he looked, the more similarities Harry saw between himself and this man.

Suddenly a thought came to him. The thought that it might be true drove Harry to ask the stranger a question.

"Sir, are you, might you be, umm… that is, are you my father?" Harry stuttered out looking down at his feet. He only glanced back up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The man was now kneeling in front of Harry.

"No child, I'm not, but I am related to you." The man smiled when he said that and it puzzled Harry. Never before had someone appeared proud to have Harry in their family.

"In fact, Ginny, Teddy, and I were wondering if you'd want to come live with us. You'd have to wait a couple of days so Ginny and I could set up a place for you, but after that you could live with us and you'd never have to come back here again."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. The thought of leaving the Dursleys for good was like a dream come true; even if he had to wait a little bit to leave it was still better than he had ever hoped for.

"Yes!" he answered, emphatically, and Harry saw the man and Ginny look at each other and grin.


	4. The Past

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Four: The Past

Harry looked down at the little boy, himself really, but it was too confusing to think of this little kid like that, especially when he had no memories of this ever happening to him.

Harry had just asked the boy if he would like to come live with him, Teddy, and Ginny.

Harry knew the boy would say yes. It's what he would've said had he ever been asked, and yet, even with that knowledge, he still found himself holding his breath, hoping the child would agree.

Harry watched the boy as he looked up first in shock and then in absolute joy. Little Harry shouted "yes!" and it was all Harry could do to contain himself. He just looked at Ginny and grinned. They both knew how different Little Harry's life would be now that he would be raised by Harry and Ginny.

"Dad, is he really gonna come live with us? Like a brother?"

"Yes, Teddy, he's going to come live with us and he'll be your brother."

"Yes!" Teddy shouted, almost as loud as Little Harry before struggling in Ginny's arms to be let down. Ginny caught on quickly and let the boy down from her arms. Teddy raced over to where young Harry was standing and threw his arms around him.

Harry and Ginny froze, neither sure of how Little Harry would react. When Harry had first come to Hogwarts he hadn't liked being touched. It had taken years for him to get used to physical contact. But they shouldn't have worried, Little Harry surprised them all. He eagerly wrapped his arms around Teddy. Ginny and Harry could see his smiling face; he looked like he had won the lottery. Teddy soon let go and stepped out of the embrace.

"Hi, I'm Teddy, well really Ted James Remus Potter, but everyone calls me Teddy so you can too. That's my mum and dad," he said, tossing his hand in their general direction. "They're your parents now too. Don't worry 'cuz they 'dopted me too and they're great parents. I'm really glad you're gonna be my brother 'cuz whenever we vote I always get outvoted, now at least we'll tie with them, and now we can play two on two Quidditch. What's your name?" Teddy finally paused to take a breath. Little Harry looked stunned and it took him a moment to respond.

"I'm Harry, umm Harry Potter. I don't think I have any other names." Little Harry was about to say more when Teddy interrupted him.

"Your name's Harry?" Teddy asked incredulously. Ginny, seeing where this was going, jumped in.

"Teddy! Come here, please." Both boys jumped at her shout and Teddy ran to her side.

Teddy had been raised in war time and it showed in nearly every aspect of his life. One of them being that when Harry or Ginny ordered him to do something, he did it, and he did it fast. It had been instilled in him practically since birth. Harry and Ginny weren't willing to raise him as a 'normal' child because to do that, would be sentencing him to death. From the moment the news was leaked that Harry Potter had taken in a child, Teddy was at the top of every Death Eater's hit list, second only to Ginny. While they tried to give Teddy as normal a life as possible, in his situation it didn't amount to much. So now, when Ginny asked him to come to her, he hurried over to her as fast as he could.

"Yes, mama?" Teddy asked looking from side to side, trying to identify the danger. Ginny felt terrible for putting him on edge. She knelt down to his level and whispered in his ear.

"Honey, let's not mention Daddy's name for a while, ok? We don't want to make your new brother feel uncomfortable." Teddy immediately relaxed, knowing now that there was no danger lurking somewhere unseen. He nodded at his mother's request, even though he didn't really understand how having the same name as someone else could make one uncomfortable, and walked back to Little Harry.

While the children occupied themselves, the parents talked.

"Harry, is this really happening to us? I know you said that we're in the past but how? What're we gonna do now? What about the Resistance? We're leaving them without a leader." Ginny's rapid fire questioning reminded Harry of Teddy's own vocal rampage not too long ago, and he would've smiled had Ginny not been in distress.

"Gin, calm down," Harry said before pulling her into a gentle hug. "I'm not sure exactly. One moment I was talking to Dumbledore's portrait and then I was in this room. It was so odd. The walls glowed, and there were no doors or windows. I thought it must've been some new holding cell that leftover Death Eaters designed to hold me. I wasn't alone for long when this _man_ appeared. In short, he told me that Little Harry had wished for someone to come save him and _he _decided that it should be me."

Harry looked Ginny over and saw that she was okay with the story so far. He took a deep breath and continued the retelling, hoping that the next part wouldn't bring the wrath of Ginny Potter down on him.

"I said the only way I would do it is if you and Teddy could come with me. _He_said okay and now here we are. I don't know who _he_is or how _he_ did it but we're here now. I'm sorry if I made a mistake by bringing you and Teddy back with me, but I couldn't leave you two alone in that future and I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Just think of all the events we could change for the better. We can get Sirius out of Azkaban this year! Think of how different he'll be, after only four years in that hell-hole instead of twelve. We can stop the attack on Hogwarts; maybe even kill Voldemort before he comes back. We can save your family. We're gonna find a place to live here. We're going to raise Little Harry and Teddy; we'll train Little Harry and continue Teddy's training so they're ready for anything. As for the Resistance, they haven't happened yet; most of them are still children. We're in the past, Gin."

"Harry, you don't have to convince me. I know all that we've lost. We're in this together, just like always, right?. We can do this. We can save them." They looked at the children. Harry and Teddy were running around in circles chasing each other, Harry didn't remember ever playing like that, ever being that carefree. He could already see the changes taking place in Little Harry's life.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, her voice broke as she said his name. "What about Teddy? If we save Remus and Tonks they'll raise him. Harry, I don't want to lose my son."

Harry looked at the little boy… his little boy, and felt his heart break.


	5. The Potters

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Five: The Potters

"Keep an eye on the boys. I'll be back." Harry told Ginny. She nodded with tears in her eyes. Ginny knew that he needed time alone to come to terms with what they had just discovered. Harry walked down the street aimlessly. He had to get away. The thought of possibly losing his son was killing him. What if it happened? What if by doing the right thing by saving Remus and Tonks he lost his son? Could he do it? Before he knew it he was at the playground near his childhood home. He had often come here as a child to escape Dudley and his gang. It was his safe haven.

"Watcher! Watcher! I need to speak to you! I need to know if I'll lose my son! Please." Harry dropped to his knees. He could feel the mulch digging into his skin but even that could not pull him out of his stupor. His heart was breaking from the thought of losing yet another loved one. He knew that if it happened that Teddy wouldn't really be gone, he would still be alive, he just wouldn't be Harry's son. That thought did little to soothe him. He knelt on the ground, head thrown back, tears pouring from his eyes.

"Please, Watcher, please." In that moment Harry Potter disappeared. In the blink of an eye he was back in the blank room standing across from the Watcher.

Immediately Harry started to question the Watcher.

"Watcher, I need to know. If Ginny and I change the past, if we save Tonks and Remus what will happen to Teddy? He's in the past, years before he will be born. When baby Teddy is born, my Teddy will be fifteen years old, I will have raised him for fifteen years, but then what? Will my Teddy disappear if Tonks and Remus are alive to raise him? Will one Teddy stay with me and baby Teddy be with Remus? What will happen to my son?" Harry looked to the Watcher for answers. The Watcher was silent for a minute and then he started to speak.

"Harry, what makes a person who they are?" the Watcher asked. Harry couldn't see _Its_ face behind the pale hood, but he imagined it would look something like Dumbledore's during one of the many conversations when he had tried to guide Harry towards an answer.

"Umm, I don't know. I guess their memories, the things they experience in life, the people they meet, the ones they love all come together to make up who a person is," Harry answered just like he would if it really had been Dumbledore who had asked.

"Exactly. Your Teddy and Little Harry will be unlike anyone else. They won't be like the other versions of them. Little Harry will not grow up to be exactly like you, he won't come to the past and raise himself, he won't grow up missing James and Lily. Your Teddy will not be raised by Tonks and Remus, although if everything goes according to your plans one Teddy will. The situation I have put you in is different than the time travel forms you are familiar with. The forces that came together to move your family to the past are far greater than a mere time turner and as such it does not have the same pitfalls as some of the lesser forms of time travel. Your Teddy is free to become whoever he wants, he is your son. You don't have to worry about him disappearing."

The Watcher took a small pause to let Harry comprehend what he was saying before charging on. "Little Harry, on the other hand, will have to experience some of the same things you went through. He will have to vanquish Voldemort, for he is the one named in the prophecy, and even I am powerless against some things. Your family can help him along the way, but he must be the one to kill the Dark Lord. Just as you were once the one who had to kill him."

Harry nodded and then he was back in the park without even a goodbye from the Watcher. Harry stood, dusted off his knees, and went to get his family.

Back in the Dursleys' front lawn, Ginny was watching the boys play. Teddy was chasing Harry around the yard and both boys were having the time of their lives. Although their pasts were vastly different, this was the first time either one had been able to truly be a child. Ginny only wished Harry would return quickly so he could see it.

Little Harry let out a loud peal of laughter and turned around to chase Teddy. It concerned her that the boys were roughly the same size even though Teddy was about two years younger. Little Harry was so small for his age-Ginny knew that the Dursleys hadn't been feeding him nearly enough.

She had been with Harry for years and had heard many stories of his childhood, but to be here and see it firsthand was something entirely different. Ginny laughed when she realized she was much more like her mother than she ever cared to admit. Here she was plotting ways to get Little Harry back to the size he should be.

For now, though, Little Harry's small size came in handy. He and Teddy were evenly matched at their game of tag. As she watched them play, Ginny reflected on her life. She couldn't imagine her life without Teddy as her son. He and Harry really were her life. They were what kept her going after her family was killed. She lived for them and if Teddy were to be taken from her she didn't know what she would do. For now, though, she decided that she would go on as usual. Pushing the thoughts of possibly losing Teddy out of her head, she prayed that Harry would come back soon with a positive answer. Ginny was pulled out of her thoughts by the thumping sound of two little boys hitting the ground. Little Harry had caught up with Teddy and tackled him to the ground. Just at that moment Petunia Dursley came outside.

"Boy! What ARE you doing? Get off that child!" Petunia's face was red with anger as she shouted at Little Harry. When she saw Ginny watching she transformed into a Stepford wife. Perfecting the model housewife act by ignoring the boys and facing Ginny.

"Oh, hello. I'm Petunia Dursley. I am so sorry about my nephew, he's special. We try, my husband and I, but there's only so much we can do." She turned back to the boys. "Boy, up, now!" she grunted out through her clenched teeth. Harry jumped to his feet and backed away from Teddy.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia, I was just playing with Teddy," Harry said with his head bowed. Ginny felt the anger rising up in her.

"Well I'm sure a nice little boy like him doesn't want to play with you," Petunia snarled. Harry's eyes started to water and Ginny could no longer contain her anger.

"Excuse me, but what gives you the right to say those things to a child? You should be ashamed of yourself. Harry, Teddy come here," she said and the boys rushed into her arms.

"Petunia," Ginny said sharply. "I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself. I'm Ginny, Ginny Potter." She knew that the name Potter would be recognized by Petunia as not only a relative of Harry's but as the name of a witch. Ginny watched as Petunia's face turned as white as her prized flowers.

"I thought there were no more Potters. That's why we had to take the boy in. It's the only reason we said _yes_. Why are you here?" Petunia asked, trying to save face by turning it around on Ginny.

"We're here for Harry," Harry's firm voice said from behind Ginny. Neither woman had heard him approach. Now that he was here Ginny felt herself relax and her hold on the boys loosen a bit.

"Petunia, I know how you treat Harry, I know what you let Vernon do to him-the beatings, the starvation, the emotional abuse-and I'm here to stop it. Harry is coming with us. You'll never see him again unless for some reason he decides to come back, like say, for revenge. Say your goodbyes now because you'll probably never see your sister's son again-you've lost the right to your family through your own deeds." Harry finished, setting one hand on Ginny's shoulder and the other on Harry's, a symbolic gesture showing Petunia that she was no longer a part of Harry's family. Petunia sniffed, tossed her nose in the air and turned her back on the Potters. She retreated into her home and the Potters were glad to be rid of her.

"Well, Harry, I guess you're coming with us today." Harry said. Little Harry smiled, not at all sad to be leaving.

"I guess you might be wondering who we are," Ginny said waiting for some kind of response from Little Harry. The boy nodded shyly. "Well, you already know some of our names. He's Teddy, I'm Ginny, and this is Harry," she said pointing to them each in turn. Before, she had been wary of Little Harry finding too many similarities between himself and… himself, but now she realized that very few children would ever imagine their older selves coming back to the past to rescue them, especially a child who had no knowledge of magic, and decided that it couldn't hurt for Little Harry to know Harry's name.

"You got the same name as me?" Little Harry asked, looking at Harry with an awed expression.

"Yes, I do little guy. You'll find that you and I have quite a lot in common," Harry said, echoing Ginny's mental argument.

Harry picked up Little Harry, and Ginny held Teddy, and the Potters walked away from Privet Drive never to return.


	6. The Warrior

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Six: The Warrior

"Harry, I know we did the right thing, but where do we go from here?" Ginny asked. They had started walking after Petunia went inside. In the future it had become a habit to stay on the move, after all moving targets were slightly more difficult to hit. They were each carrying a sleeping child. Harry had Little Harry and Ginny had Teddy.

"I don't know, Gin. We should be able to get access to the Potter vaults. The Goblins will just need a blood sample from Little Harry, Teddy, or me and then we should be fine. We'll get some money out of the family vault and then we'll need to find a place to stay."

"You want to call the bus or shall I?" Ginny asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I'll do it," Harry said reaching into his back pocket for his wand… It wasn't there.

"Gin," he said, panic lacing his voice. "Do you have your wand?"

Ginny felt her own pocket, reaching around Teddy to do so. By the look on her face he knew the answer even before she said it.

"No," she said in a whisper.

Adrenaline roared through his veins as panic churned in his gut. He never went anywhere without his wand, NEVER. Ginny was the same way, even Teddy had his wand on a near-constant basis. For none of them to have a wand on them was about the same odds of someone winning the lotto seven times in a row while playing the same numbers… It just didn't happen.

Now even more eager to get off the street and somewhere safe Harry flicked his first two fingers and sent a jolt of magic out calling the Knight Bus. Moments later the purple bus roared into sight. It pulled up to the curb in front of them and slammed on the brakes. The door snapped open and a woman stepped into view. Harry interrupted before she could start the standard spiel.

"We know, we know, we called the bus after all, didn't we? How much is it to go to Diagon Alley nowadays?" Harry asked. He hated to be rude but every nerve in his body roared to get out of the open now that he knew that they were all wandless. Before when Ginny and the boys were playing on the lawn he had thought they were safe with the security of their wands. Now that he knew better, he felt as if they all were back in their time where they had to be ready for attack at any moment.

Struggling to keep himself looking outwardly calm he waited for the woman to answer his question. Ginny took his hand in hers and it helped a bit, giving him the strength he needed.

The woman, a rough looking lady in her mid forties harrumphed and said, "fourteen sickles and three knuts for the lot of ya." Harry handed her the money and they went toward the back of the bus where there were fewer people. They sat and adjusted the children on their laps so that they were all a bit more comfortable.

Harry and Ginny sat stock still for minutes until Ginny let out a small chuckle.

"Harry," she said between laughs. "Harry, we're in the past. We're safe. We'll be okay until we can get to Ollivanders and get wands."

Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and managed a small laugh as well.

The rest of the bus ride went as smoothly as a ride on the Knight bus ever could. Harry even managed to loosen up enough to start a little small talk.

"So, here we are. Me twenty-one, you twenty, parents to a six-year-old and a four-year-old? Haha, you know people will assume you had Little Harry when you were fourteen?" Harry asked with a smile. Ginny laughed along with him.

"As long as you're the father I don't care when people think I had my kids," Ginny said leaning over to give him a quick kiss. They parted sooner than either would've liked, but the fact each was holding a young child did wonders to quiet their libidos.

"We can't keep calling him that, you know? Little Harry, I mean, people will be looking all over for him once they realize he's gone."

"You're right, what should we call him, James? Jamie?" Harry suggested.

"No. It's a nice name and all, but I think they'll expect that. We can keep Harry and James as middle names but I think we should give him a new name." Ginny's words reminded him of what the Watcher had told him about Little Harry not being the same person as Harry and he agreed with her.

"That's fine with me. When I spoke with the Watcher he said Little Harry wouldn't have the same life as I did, and that by having different experience and memories he would become a different person. What better way to start off a new life than with a new name?"

"Any suggestions?" Ginny asked.

"How about Arnold?" Harry offered.

"Yuck, why would we do that to a child? Umm, what about Benjamin?"

"Benjamin Potter? No, kids will call him BP like the petrol stations. What do you think of Isaac?"

"I don't know. It's a nice name, but there's no special meaning behind it. I'm named for my mother and my dad's mom, you're named for your father and grandfather, Teddy is named for his father and grandfathers. I think we should give Little Harry that same gift. If we keep Harry and James as middle names, family is pretty much out unless we want to name him Arthur, which by the way, we don't. We're going to have to think a little outside the box."

"How about Finley?" Harry asked softly. Ginny looked at him with tears in her eyes, images of the young man who saved her life flashing through her mind.

Finley was a seventeen-year-old who had joined the Resistance just months before his death. He had been tall for his age; he stood about six feet, three inches tall. He had sandy blonde hair and sky blue eyes. If he had lived in a more peaceful time he would've been quite the lady's man, but as it was there wasn't much time for dating in the middle of a war.

Finley made an impression on everyone he met. Everyone knew Finley, and more, importantly, everybody loved Finley. He had died a hero, killed in action, on a rescue mission. That was the kind of man Finley was. He didn't think twice about putting himself in danger as long as someone else would be helped by his risk-taking, it was a quality he shared with Harry.

This particular time the person being helped was Ginny. She had been kidnapped by Voldemort, and Finley was part of the volunteer group that went to retrieve her. He had been paired with Harry when the task force was made. Both men were happy about the decision; they both knew the other would stop at nothing to get Ginny back.

Harry and Finley had just entered the dilapidated building where Voldemort had stashed Ginny when they were attacked by a large group of Death Eaters. Harry went into action taking out as many of the enemy as possible and Finley went to revive Ginny. She had been put into a magical coma and it took him a few minutes to figure out the right counter curse to the particular spell that had been used.

He had just awoken her when a Death Eater came up behind him. Both Finley and Ginny heard the words of the Killing Curse leave his lips but Finley never wavered. He jumped in front of the curse to stop it from killing Ginny. She sat stunned for a millisecond before unleashing a wave of wandless magic, throwing the Death Eater backwards into a wall, killing him instantly.

Between Harry, Ginny, and the rest of the team they were able to take care of the rest of the Death Eaters in very little time. They gathered Finley's body and took him to Hogwarts to be buried next to the others who had fallen in the War against Voldemort. Ginny had never forgotten the man who had saved her life, and she felt that finally she had found a way to honor him.

"It's perfect, Harry. Did you know it means fair warrior? That's exactly what we'll raise him to be, a fair warrior."


	7. The Alley

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poem

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Seven: The Alley

It didn't take long for the Knight Bus to get them to Diagon Alley and soon the family was standing outside the Leaky Cauldron. Teddy and Little Harry had just woken up and Harry and Ginny were trying to think of a way to explain to Little Harry about his name being changed.

"Just do it, Potter. Tell him the truth," Ginny coaxed.

"If you think it's so easy you do it," he told her.

"Fine, I will. Harry come over here for a bit." Ginny motioned for the six-year-old to come to her and he hurried over. She knelt so she was at eye level with the young boy.

"Okay, little man, you know how you used to live with the Dursleys?" Little Harry nodded. "Well, that's because after your first mommy and daddy died it was the only safe place for you to be, so a man named Dumbledore did what he thought was best and left you there." Little Harry seemed to take that all in so Ginny continued.

"He thought they'd be good to you, but they weren't, so now we're here and you'll be in our family. Now the problem is that Dumbledore is going to be very worried when he finds out that you aren't with the Dursleys, and lots of people will be looking all over for you, so we're going to have to do a bit of hiding for now. One of the things we have to do is give you another name. Teddy got a new name when we adopted him and so will you. Is that okay?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded eagerly.

"I wanna new name. What's it gonna be?" he asked, grinning up at her.

"Well, we talked about it a lot and we were thinking that you could be called Finley Harrison James Potter. The name you were given at birth is very important. Your middle name, James, was your father's name, and Harry was his father's name. So we want to keep those, but we need to change your name a little too, that's why we added Finley, and changed Harry to Harrison. Finley was the name of a man who saved my life. I know it's a lot to take in, and if you're not okay with any of the changes, we can talk about it and change it to be whatever you like. What do you think?"

"I love it!" Finley said, throwing his arms around Ginny's neck. Ginny grinned up at Harry.

"See? It's that easy," she said to Harry as she picked up the newly renamed boy. "Fin, we're about to go through this pub to Diagon Alley, it's a magical shopping center." She told him, trying to put it in a way he would understand.

"We just need to disguise ourselves a bit. Teddy and Harry are really good at this; you'll be good too once you get a little bit of practice. Harry, how about brown hair and blue eyes? You look at little too much like your father. Teddy you can stay pretty much the same, just change your eyes to green and add a few more freckles. Just watch this, Fin." Before their eyes Teddy and Harry changed their appearances to match the descriptions Ginny had given them.

"Wow!" Finley shouted. "That's so cool! Can I try? How do you do that?"

"Finley, do you remember when Petunia cut your hair really short?" Harry asked. Finley nodded. "And you remember how it grew back overnight?" Finley nodded again.

"Okay, just try to remember how you felt when you were making your hair grow back; think really hard about changing how you look. Try to imagine yourself with red hair like Ginny and brown eyes that look just like hers."

Finley nodded and closed his eyes. His face scrunched up in concentration. Slowly his dark hair changed to red and his face became spotted with freckles. He opened his eyes, they were like melted chocolate, nearly exact replicas of Ginny's own.

"Great job, Finley, you too, Teddy," Harry cheered. He looked the boys over; they could now pass as twins. Even with the two year age difference between the boys they were about the same size due to the Dursleys' mistreatment of Finley. The little boy was much too short for his age, but it worked in their favor now. After all who would think that the family in line next to them at Gringotts with the twin red heads was really Harry Potter and his new family? Teddy now had messy red hair and bright green eyes, and Finley was sporting red hair and brown eyes. Harry's grin grew a little larger when he looked over his family.

"You both did awesome," Ginny congratulated. "Now, are we ready to go into Diagon Alley?" she asked. The boys shouted their agreement. She set Finley down on his feet and took his hand. Harry grabbed Teddy's hand and they entered the pub. Harry, Ginny, and Teddy were shocked by the difference in the appearance of the pub. It was crowded with people, all bustling about, some eating, some drinking, most making their way to the back of the pub, where the entrance to Diagon Alley was hidden.

In their time, the Leaky Cauldron had been all but demolished, as had the rest of Diagon Alley. The war had not been kind to the Wizarding world and Diagon Alley had not been an exception. It had become a dangerous place to go. Most people only ventured in when absolutely necessary. Death Eaters liked big targets, they loved to make a scene and Diagon Alley was one of the Dark Lord's favorite places to cause mayhem.

Teddy had only been once; Harry had had to get money from Gringotts and Ginny wasn't home to watch him so Harry took the three year old with him. Even in its dilapidated state, Diagon Alley had amazed Teddy. The few shops that were still open seven years after the war started were all in shambles but the shop owners tried to make the best of what they had to deal with.

Harry had withdrawn the money he needed and then decided to take Teddy to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Teddy loved the sport almost as much as his parents, which meant he was only one step down from being a fanatic.

There wasn't much free time in war, but when Harry and Ginny were not out fighting Voldemort and his forces they tried to make life as normal for Teddy as possible and to them that included lots of Quidditch.

Harry took Teddy flying for the first time when Teddy was just nine months old and the little boy had loved it. After Teddy turned two, Harry charmed his broom to stay about three feet off the ground and let Teddy fly by himself. The boy was a natural; he took to flying almost as well as Harry had. There was no doubt in Harry's mind that Teddy would one day be a better flyer than Harry himself was.

Harry had bought the boy his own child sized broom, a Thunder Clap, and two Lightning Strikes, one for him and one for Ginny. The Thunder Clap was an exact replica of the Lightning Strike, the only differences being that the Thunder Clap was about two and a half feet long and charmed to allow the parents to set the top speed and height that the broom could reach.

When Harry and Teddy had returned home, they spent the rest of the evening outside playing Quidditch, although, Quidditch with a three-and-a-half-year-old was very different than one would expect. They put buckets on the ground for the goals and they only played with a Quaffle.

Harry really had wanted to introduce a snitch into the game but he had forgotten to get a child-charmed snitch at Quality Quidditch Supplies, and the ones they had at home would all fly too high for Teddy to catch.

Playing Quidditch with Teddy and Ginny that night was one of the best memories Harry had of his life after Hogwarts. He hoped now that they would be able to make plenty more memories just as good. He was determined to give his children a better life than he had.

The family made their way to the back of the pub and exited into the courtyard.

"Teddy, do you remember which brick we have to tap?" Harry asked the boy.

"Yep!" Teddy shouted jumping up and down pointing to the correct brick. "Tree up, two 'cross."

"And how many times do we tap it?" Harry asked.

"Dis many," Teddy said holding up three fingers.

"Correct," Harry confirmed before rapping on the brick with the backs of his knuckles, sending a jolt of magic into the wall and opening the gateway into Diagon Alley.

Behind him he heard three gasps. He felt like doing the same, but his breath had caught in his chest. It was beautiful; he could remember it looking like this as a child, but it was so different seeing it again.

The Alley was packed with people milling about, all content in their little lives. Mothers holding their children's hands, future Hogwarts students filling their cauldrons with all their school supplies, and boys (and the occasional girl) pressed up against the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies drooling over the newest broom. There was more life in the Alley than Harry had seen in years. No screams could be heard except those of a child who was denied ice cream from Florean Fortescue's. It was amazing, and it was at that moment that it truly hit Harry how much they could change.


	8. The Changes

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Eight: The Changes

"Wow, Daddy it's so dif'ent!" Teddy exclaimed, pulling on Harry's hand, trying in vain to get further into the Alley.

"I know, buddy, it sure is," Harry said to the boy with a smile.

"Gringotts first?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded, and the family set off down Diagon Alley. Harry felt like a child, the way he was looking at everything with awe, but he couldn't stop himself. He was amazed by the world around him. No signs of death or destruction; he had almost forgotten that the world had been like this once.

"Gin, it's amazing," Harry told his wife.

"I know, but now's not the time. People are starting to stare." Harry looked around quickly to see if anyone was looking at them. No one was. His wife was joking with him, that was another thing Harry had almost forgotten about, he wasn't used to being able to tease his wife or even to act his age. He was only twenty-one years old but the war had aged him prematurely.

In their time, saying someone was staring at you was like saying "duck and cover", or at the very least, "someone is following you". In their time Harry would've sprung into action, looking for the person who was watching them; in this time, Harry scanned the area first but was able to stop himself from trying to draw his wand. After making sure no one was watching them, Harry realized she was joking with him. After slowing his heart rate Harry laughed.

"Ha ha, you're so funny. Did I ever tell you that?" She shook her head, playing along. "Well I should've, because you're freakin' hilarious. I nearly killed the guy in the red robe." Harry said with a nod in the man's direction.

Ginny caught onto his joke a lot faster than he did hers, and she laughed.

"Whatever," she said, and took his free hand in hers and the family continued on, making their way through the crowd to Gringotts. Finley and Teddy raced up the giant steps that led to the doors of Gringotts, laughing at their game.

Finley got there first exclaiming "I win!" as he slapped his hand on the large door. Teddy reached the door soon after, and was about to say something, when the doors opened from the inside. Teddy and Finley jumped out of the way just in time.

Lucius Malfoy and Draco, his young son, came out of Gringotts with an air of arrogance that only the Malfoys could pull off. Malfoy Sr. looked down at the boys and wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something bad, and Teddy and Finley did the same. The elder Malfoy was aghast that someone might dare do that to him. He looked up, presumably to find the parents of these two children. When his gaze settled on Harry and Ginny he smirked.

"Are these two… children yours?" he directed the question to Harry, barely giving Ginny a second glance.

"Yes, they are. Why, have they troubled you?" Harry replied. Just talking to Malfoy was making him sick. His mind was on repeat; images of the people Harry had seen this man kill and torture were playing over and over. Harry wanted to kill him where he stood. Ginny sensed what Harry was going through; her mind was doing something similar. She gripped his hand harder trying to calm him with her touch.

"I suggest you keep a better watch over them. You never know when something . . . less than savory might befall them," Malfoy said before turning with a swish of his cloak, Draco following shyly behind his father.

For the first time Harry looked at Draco as a child much like himself. They had both been raised in abusive homes, they had just responded in different ways. Harry had decided when he was young, that he would never be like Vernon. Draco, on the other hand, had apparently chosen to become just like his father.

In the future, Draco became a Death Eater; Harry could vividly remember watching him kill Fred and George. Not this Draco though, he hadn't killed anyone yet. 'Maybe he hasn't decided to be just like his father yet,' Harry thought. 'Maybe there is still time to change him.'

Harry had hope that maybe they could help that little boy. He looked at Ginny and saw tears in her eyes. He knew that she was thinking something along those same lines.

If they could change Draco, maybe he wouldn't grow up to kill her brothers, or let the Death Eaters into the castle. They could prevent the loss of so many lives by changing one little boy.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Harry asked quietly.

"We have to do it, Harry. I'm not sure how, but we have to help him. We have to change the path he'll go down."

Harry nodded. "Then that's what we'll do."

"Daddy, Mama, hurry up!" Teddy's little voice cut through the air.

Ginny laughed. "Well, you heard the man, hurry up."

The young couple climbed the steps after their children. Harry opened the door and the two boys rushed in, followed by their parents. Teddy took Finley's hand after the older boy stopped in his tracks.

"Come on, Finny. It's okay. They're nice Goblins. I was scared the first time too," Teddy told the boy sincerely. Finley nodded and let Teddy lead him to the counter. Ginny and Harry were a step behind them.

"Key please," the Goblins gravelly voice rang out.

"We don't have one," Harry said.

"Hmmm, name?"

"Potter," Harry told him quietly.

The Goblin raised his eyebrow and leaned over the counter to look down at Finley and Teddy. "Follow me," he said as he climbed down from his seat and came around the side of the counter. The short Goblin led them down a corridor to a door that was marked _Head Goblin_. The Goblin knocked twice before opening the door and motioning them inside. He followed them into the small office. An old Goblin, sitting behind a desk that dwarfed him, looked up from his paperwork.

"Yes?" he asked, in a surprisingly soft voice.

"Master Hagfold, these people say they are the Potters," the Goblin said. Hagfold raised his eyebrow. _We seem to be getting a lot of those today_, Harry thought to himself.

"Very well, you may go Jugard. You four come here." They all did as he said. Jugard leaving the room and the family moving closer to the desk and the old Goblin. Finley tugged on Harry's arm. Harry looked down at the boy and saw him raising his arms in the world-wide way of children that meant 'pick me up'. Harry picked up the boy and set him expertly on his hip. He was used to carrying Teddy and Finley wasn't much bigger. Seeing Finley being held it wasn't long before Teddy asked Ginny to hold him too.

The Goblin didn't seem to notice that it was his presence that was scaring the two children into the arms of their parents, or if he did notice he didn't seem to care. The Goblin stood from behind his desk and walked to a filing cabinet. He opened the top drawer and started skimming over the files. After minutes of searching he pulled out four slips of parchment from a single file. He calmly walked back to his desk and sat down with a sigh.

"Closer please," he said, motioning them to stand just in front of the desk. He pulled out a large knife and set it on the desk next to where he had placed the parchment.

"Four drops of blood from each of you will be needed. These parchments are charmed to tell lineage. Blood activates them. If you are truly Potters we will have no problems here, but if you are lying to gain access to our vaults there will be trouble." The Goblin looked at them as if he expected them to turn tail and run, instead they each held out a hand.

Hagfold took the knife in his right and a piece of parchment in the left and cut Harry's palm first. Harry watched the blood drip from the wound on his hand. After four drops the Goblin set down the parchment and touched Harry's palm. The wound healed and left a small scar in its place.

The experience was the same for Ginny, Finley, and Teddy. Harry's heart broke when he watched his boys. They didn't even flinch when their hands were sliced. Children their ages shouldn't be so used to pain that they didn't flinch when they were hurt.

Finally, when they had all been cut and healed, the Goblin set down his knife and looked at the pieces of parchment one by one, reading them aloud as he went.

_Harry James Potter_

_Born to James Ignotus Potter and Lily Katherine Evans Potter_

_31 July, 1980_

_Twenty one years of age_

Next he read Ginny's parchment.

_Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter_

_Born to Arthur Septimus Weasley and Molly Ann Prewett Weasley_

_11 August, 1981_

_Twenty years of age_

After Ginny's Hagfold read Teddy's parchment

_Ted James Remus Potter_

_Born to Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Nova Tonks Lupin_

_30 April, 1998_

_Magically Adopted by Harry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley Potter_

_30 April, 1999_

_Four years of age_

To Harry's surprise the Goblin didn't stumble over the dates, he just kept on reading.

_Harry James Potter_

_Born to James Ignotus Potter and Lily Katherine Evans Potter_

_31 July, 1980_

_Six years of age_

After he read Finley's parchment he looked up.

"The Watcher?" Hagfold asked.

"Yes," Harry said.

"I expect you'll want to adopt this one too?" Hagfold asked, pointing at Finley with a gnarled finger.

"Yes!" Harry, Ginny, Teddy and Finley said at the same time. Hagfold smirked at their enthusiasm. He stood and hobbled back to the file cabinet, this time returning quickly with a single piece of parchment.

"A single drop of blood from each family member please," Hagfold said once again, holding the knife in his right hand and the parchment in his left. Carefully and quickly he sliced their palms this time running the blade the opposite angle so the cuts made an X shape on their palms.

After everyone had given blood he set down the knife, but unlike last time he left their hands unhealed.

"Mother first please. Place your hand on the parchment and repeat after me; 'This child comes to me, not from my womb but from my heart, to cherish and hold, never to part.'"

Ginny repeated the words and when she was done Hagfold had Harry step forward.

"Father next. Place your hand on the parchment and repeat after me; 'To teach and mold, a father's wishes and hopes fulfilled, to guide and love, this boy, my son."

Teddy was next. Ginny set him on his feet and he went to Hagfold.

"Now the brother. Hand on the parchment please, boy. Now say these words; 'Brother to follow and to love, brothers by bond and now by blood." Teddy repeated the words as Hagfold said them. When he was done he smiled at Finley and went to stand by his brother and father.

"And finally the little one himself, come here please." Harry let the boy down and Finley walked softly over to Hagfold.

"Hold this paper please. Make sure your palm is touching the marks left by their palms and repeat after me; 'A mother to cherish, a father to follow, a brother to love, a family to keep.'" Finley did as he was told and when he had finished Hagfold gave him one last instruction. "Now say your new name boy."

"Finley Harrison James Potter!" Finley shouted. A golden light filled the room arching from the paper first to Ginny, then from her into Harry, then into Teddy and lastly the light went into Finley. When the light finally dimmed the Potters looked at each other and immediately saw the changes in one another.

Harry was taller, not by much, but it was noticeable; he also could feel a change in his metamorphmagus power. It was stronger; he felt like he could change effortlessly instead of fighting to change, like he normally had to.

Ginny, could feel the difference in her magical power; she felt stronger. Ginny had always been a very powerful witch but now she felt like the limits she had once had on her powers were gone, and in their place, an infinite amount of possibilities abounded. What she couldn't see was the changes to her outward appearance. Her hair had darkened a shade, it now had black strands interspersed with the red, making her hair look auburn.

Teddy's changes were hardest to notice because he changed his appearance so often. It was only when he went to his base self, what he looked like when he was just being himself, that the changes could be seen. Teddy now looked like a true Potter. His hair was jet black, and as messy as if he had just stepped out of a wind tunnel. His eyes were hazel and almond-shaped. If anyone who had known James Potter as a child would've looked at Teddy at that moment they would've said Teddy could be his twin.

Finley was changed the most. He now was the proper height for a child his age. His hair was as messy as ever, maybe even more so, but now it had red highlights, barely noticeable unless the light was shining on his head at just the right angle, but still they were there. Finley remembered what it had felt like to change his appearance earlier and like Harry, Finley now felt like he could change himself to look like anything he pleased. Finley had also gained more muscle tone. When he had lived with the Dursleys, they hadn't fed him well and he was very underweight, now he looked healthy for the first time since his parents had died and he had gone to live with his accursed relatives.

"Well what do you think of the changes?" Hagfold asked. The Potters could only look at him in silence.


	9. The Worries

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Nine: The Worries

The Potters left the bank a little richer and a lot happier. Harry, Ginny, and the boys walked the Alley, content to spend a few moments as a family. Harry knew that the peace would not last. There were things that they needed to change-deaths they wanted to prevent and lives they wanted to change for the better.

They took the boys to the Quidditch store and bought brooms for all of them and Holyhead Harpies jerseys for the boys. It had been Ginny's dream to play for the Harpies; the team had even extended an offer, but the war had gotten so bad that the Quidditch League was disbanded until it was safer for both the players and the spectators. It had been a hard blow at the time but she had quickly moved on. There were bigger things to worry about, like the safety of her husband and son.

Harry and Ginny had been training Teddy to use magic since before the boy could walk. They knew that as the son of Harry Potter, people would be after him every day of his life, and they wanted him to be prepared.

Most magical people were under the impression that a child could only begin to harness his or her magic when they were about eleven years old, but Harry theorized that if magic was something one was born with, then they should, with the correct training, be able to use it at a much younger age than traditionally accepted.

Harry and Ginny waited for Teddy to show the first signs of having magic to begin his training. They didn't have to wait long. Only six months after he came to live with them, when he was nine months old, Teddy's first act of magic occurred. He had been seated in the middle of the floor, and had summoned a plush toy from across the room.

After that Harry and Ginny would have him summon things to himself at any opportunity. They turned it into a game so Teddy would have fun, while still practicing and strengthening his magic. The game was simple; Harry would drop a toy when he was sure Teddy was watching and then wave his hand, silently summoning it.

After a few tries Teddy got the gist of the game. Harry had dropped a toy, a plush wolf, and this time before he could summon it, Teddy did. The toy zoomed across the room to where Teddy was sitting in his high chair. Harry laughed and picked Teddy up, tickling the baby's belly and praising him.

"Teddy, you did it! You summoned the toy!" The baby started to laugh.

Life with Teddy was perfect. The boy, even in the midst of war, seemed to make things better for Harry and Ginny. The months had passed quickly, and as Teddy advanced so did his training. He went from summoning toys at nine months, to turning his toys and clothes different colors at fifteen months. By two years he was able to summon nearly anything, regardless of its size, and he was starting to be able to transfigure nonliving objects into other nonliving objects. At three he had mastered most simple transfigurations and together Harry and Ginny decided that he was ready for a wand.

Instead of teaching normal first year spells, they decided to teach Teddy defense. After all, one of the major reasons they were teaching Teddy magic as early as they were was so he might have a chance at protecting himself when Death Eaters came after him, which they had already tried.

The first kidnapping attempt happened when Teddy was only fourteen months old. Harry suspected the only reason they waited that long to try to take him was that not many people knew that Harry had taken custody of the boy. The Death Eaters had planted a spy in Harry's resistance group. Harry had suspected that there was a spy, but he wasn't sure who it was. Unfortunately they only found out who it was when the spy, a man named Jonas Dekker, took Teddy.

They were having a meeting in the basement of a safe house and Teddy was sleeping in an upstairs room. Jonas left to go to the bathroom and Harry continued the meeting. About ten minutes after Jonas left, Ginny got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and left the room to check on Teddy. She raced upstairs and found the security charms on the door to Teddy's room deactivated and the door itself open. She ran inside, wand out and ready. Jonas was there in the room bending over Teddy's crib.

Teddy was sitting up in the crib crying, his tears running down his tiny face. Around Teddy was a glowing ball of light keeping Jonas away from him. Ginny was stunned; at first she had thought that the glowing sphere was a spell Jonas was casting on her son, but after looking at it, really looking at it, she saw that it was Teddy who was in control. The sphere was protecting him. Jonas had his wand out and was trying every spell he knew, it seemed, to break through. When Ginny saw him pointing his wand at her son it was as if something broke inside of her. She raised her wand and pointed it at his back. Saying the first spell that came to mind, she blew him across the room and he hit the wall with a resounding crash. Jonas Dekker was no more.

Ginny ran across the room and picked up the crying baby from his crib, cradling the toddler to her chest. She sent her Patronus off with a message to Harry, and then focused completely on her son, checking him for any sign that Jonas had hurt him. The baby was still crying when Harry reached them. He wrapped his arms around his wife and son, comforting them both before asking what had happened. Ginny explained and their resolve to, as soon as possible, teach magic to Teddy, and any other child they would eventually have, was strengthened. They knew that Teddy wouldn't be able to fight back at anyone wishing him harm anytime soon, but the sooner they started teaching him the small stuff, the sooner he would be able to do bigger, more powerful spells.

Remembering Teddy's training and knowing that Finley would need to start training too; Harry suggested that they go straight to the wandmaker's. The Watcher hadn't given them any warning when he had brought them back to the past, so Ginny and Harry were both without their wands. Harry felt unprotected without his wand even though he could use wandless magic; he knew Ginny felt the same. The sooner they all got their wands the happier they all would be.

"I get my wand back, Daddy? Teddy asked excitedly, tugging on Ginny's hand, pulling her towards Ollivander's shop. Ginny just looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"What, Gin? We need wands," Harry said playfully. He had known what reaction his suggestion would get from Teddy when he had said it; Ginny knew it too. She just shook her head and let Teddy pull her to Ollivander's. Harry started to follow them to the wand shop when he felt Finley let go of his hand. He stopped and turned back to look at the boy.

"Finley?" he asked, "what's wrong? Don't you want a wand?" Finley nodded but dropped his gaze, looking at his shoes instead of his father.

"I dunno any magic. What if I'm not good enough for a wand?" Finley mumbled, still looking at his shoes.

"Fin. . . Finley Potter, look at me." Harry waited for the boy to look up. When he did, Harry continued. "No worries. You hear me? You have magic, loads of it, even if I do say so myself. It was a gift your parents gave you, and one day you'll use it to defeat one of the greatest evils this world has ever seen. It's okay that you don't know any magic right now. That's why we're getting you a wand. Your mother and I are going to teach you and Teddy everything you need to know about magic, until you go to Hogwarts, that is. So what do you say we go get you a wand?"

Finley nodded, smiled hesitantly, and took Harry's hand once more.

"You ready to take the first step in becoming one of the best wizards ever?" Harry asked the boy.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Finley said excitedly, pulling Harry's hand much like Teddy had done to Ginny.

Harry let Finley pull him in the direction Ginny and Teddy had gone. He could do this. He and Ginny, together, could be the parents to little Finley—the parents that Harry had never had, growing up. They would make it work. They had to. The wizarding world depended on it.


	10. The Wands

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Ten: The Wands

Harry, Ginny, Teddy, and Finley entered Ollivander's wand shop. The shadowy interior put all four on edge. Harry felt vulnerable without his wand and he was sure Ginny felt the same. The sooner they got their wands back the better. Ollivander slipped behind the counter from who knows where. Harry always hated the man's mannerisms, why did a shop keeper have to be so creepy?

"Well, well, well. I can honestly say I have never encountered this situation before. I know that you are indeed Harry Potter, although I have no idea how you've come to be so old. I was not expecting you for another few years and even then you should've been a child. And you, Ginny Weasley… no not Weasley… Potter, Ginny Potter. Unexpected to say the least. And as for the young ones… I'm at a loss, I do not recognize them from any of the families I'm familiar with." Ollivander paused and looked intently down at Teddy and Finley. Switching his gaze from the boys to Harry he asked, "Magical adoption or are they from abroad?"

Both Harry and Ginny were taken aback by the older man's question. He took their silence as an answer in itself.

"I see. Well, no matter. I assume you are here for wands? It isn't often children their ages are brought in to purchase wands. But let's get started, shall we?" Ollivander didn't wait for an answer. He turned and disappeared in the rows and rows of wands.

Finley and Teddy looked up at Harry and arched their left eyebrows in an identical manner. Harry laughed; they looked so much like Ginny when they did that.

Before Harry could say anything Ollivander returned with an armful of wand boxes. He set them gently on the counter and motioned Teddy to come forward.

"Youngest first, please" he said.

Teddy went up to the counter without fear. He reached out and took the wand from Ollivander, with a flick his wrist the wood paneling flew off the wall.

Ollivander yanked the wand out of Teddy's hand, saying "No, no, not it at all". He handed another wand to Teddy and again Teddy flicked the wand, this time it wasn't the walls that were damaged, it was the ceiling. Cracks appeared, spider-webbing their way across the room. Harry waved his hand and repaired the ceiling. He hated to use wandless magic in front of Ollivander, but he saw no other choice. Ollivander merely raised his eyebrows and went back to finding Teddy a wand.

Finally after six more wands they found the one that was meant for the little boy.

"Ash, 9 5/8 inches, dragon heartstring, pleasantly springy, good for transfiguration. A nice wand if I do say so myself."

Teddy seemed happy to have a wand back in his hand, even if it wasn't the one he was used to.

Harry wasn't surprised that a different wand had chosen Teddy this time, after all, Teddy was a different child.

By adopting Finley they had all merged in a sense, it was the same reason why their appearances had changed. When a magical adoption takes place everyone in the family shares their DNA, not just the parents sharing DNA with their new child.

The magic involved chooses who receives which traits and it always makes sure to keep the people in their correct positions. Parents never become siblings and children never become parents genetically.

While Harry didn't completely understand how the spell works, he did know that people didn't leave the same as they were before they spell.

Next Ollivander called Finley before him. Harry held his breath; he knew Finley would receive the Holly wand, and yet he couldn't stop himself from wishing it would end differently. He wished that the little boy would not have to carry that burden. It was more than any child should have to cope with.

"Sir, would you mind letting him try the 11-inch holly wand with the phoenix feather core. I have a feeling that it might choose him." Harry said, forcing the words out. There was no point putting off the inevitable.

Ollivander cast a strange look at Harry, but after a moment gave a swift nod and darted off to the back of the store.

Ginny reached out and took Harry's hand. They both knew what these next few minutes could mean.

Ollivander came back a few moments later with a very familiar black box in his hands. He set it down gently on the counter and pulled out the wand.

As he handed it to Finley, Ginny and Harry both held their breath.

Finley's small fingers wrapped around the wand and he looked over his shoulder at Harry. In the next moment a gust of wind, accompanied by a bright light, swept through the room. Finley's hair swayed gently with the breeze and his smile was so bright and joyful, Harry wished it would never leave his face.

He knew Finley was just happy to get a sign that he truly did have magic. Harry and Ginny, though, felt as if their hearts were breaking. Finley turned back to grin first at Teddy and then at Ollivander. Ginny took the opportunity to wipe a tear from her eye.

Ollivander looked at Harry and asked, "I suppose you know what this means?"

Harry couldn't manage a verbal reply. He nodded. Ginny looked up at Harry and said in a low, emotional voice, "Let's just get our wands and leave. I can't… I need… please, Harry."

Harry nodded and stepped forward. He put a hand on both Teddy and Finley's shoulders. "Ollivander, my wife and I both need wands. Our last wands were both ash, mine with Phoenix feather core, hers with unicorn hair. You can bring those out if you'd like but I doubt they'll choose us again. They weren't our first wands, there's no telling what wands will choose us this time."

Ollivander nodded and retreated once again into the rows of shelves. He returned moments later, his arms laden with wands. He set the wand boxes down on the counter and motioned for Ginny to come forward.

"I have an idea," he said. "It might not work, but I think it's worth trying. If you would please, hold your wand hand over the wands. Try to sense the wand that was meant for you. Take it slow and if all goes well you'll find your wand."

Ginny did as he requested. Holding her right hand over the stacks of wand boxes she tried to sense the wands with her magic. Slowly she moved her hand from one stack to another, and then to yet another. In this stack she felt something familiar. She pulled the stack toward her and ran her hand down the length of it. When she was nearing the end of the stack she stopped.

It was there, her wand. Keeping a hand on the top of the stack she pulled the box free. She flipped open the top and took the wand out. She felt the magic race up her arm and the unfamiliar wand become a little more comfortable in her hand.

"Magnificent!" Ollivander said. "Dragon heartstring, mahogany 10 ¼ inches makes it perfect for Charms"

"Well, you're next, you're next," he said to Harry.

Not wanting to waste any time, Harry stuck his hand over the boxes and moved gently from one stack to another. It took even less time to find his wand; it was in the second stack, third box from the top.

"Willow, 11 inches, the core is made with a hair from the mane of a Sphinx. Sturdy with a liking for defense I'd say." Ollivander informed him.

After paying for the wands, the family left the store, ready to be free from the old man and all that he represented. He was proof that, no matter how much they wanted it to be different, some things just had to stay the same.


	11. The Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Beta: DukeBrymin

Chapter Eleven: The Plans

The first few months in the past went by smoothly. The Potters had found a house that suited them: three floors with three bedrooms on each floor and at least one bathroom to each floor. With the way Weasleys seem to procreate they knew they'd need the space eventually, and in the meantime they wanted to have room for Sirius and Remus if either one of the men chose to live at the aptly-named Lions' Den. With as many Gryffindors who would live inside its walls there wasn't any other choice but to give it a name that reflected that fact.

After the house had been acquired the real plans had begun to be laid out. First and foremost was to free Sirius from Azkaban. Harry's first idea was to simply invade the prison and get Sirius out immediately; luckily Ginny was there to point out that it would mean Sirius would be on the run for the rest of his life, leaving one prison for another.

The new plan was to deliver Peter to Dumbledore and hope Dumbledore had enough pull to get Sirius released. Of course, the plan hinged on getting access to Peter in his rat form. Ginny knew that before Scabbers was Ron's pet he belonged to Percy but beyond that she couldn't remember when he had come to live with her family. To her it seemed like he had been there all her life.

Harry had the idea to contact Remus, explain the situation to him and hope he believed them enough to help them accomplish what needed to be done. This mean that now the entire plan hinged on them being able to convince one man that everything he had believed for the last four years was a lie.

Freeing Sirius wasn't the only plan the Potters were working on. They knew that in order for Finley to kill Voldemort, the horcruxes all needed to be destroyed and, while neither Harry nor Ginny could kill the man for Finley, they could do the preparatory work. They knew where the majority of the horcruxes were, the Gaunt ring would be the easiest to find and destroy-Dumbledore wouldn't go after it for years so it was still resting in the same shack. Ravenclaw's Diadem was hidden in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts but Ginny figured that posing as parents to potential Hogwarts students should grant them access enough to get the Diadem without being noticed.

Gaining access to the next three horcruxes depended on Sirius being out of prison. Slytherin's locket was at his ancestral home. But it was hidden so, although Ginny and Harry knew they had been there before, they couldn't quite remember where _there_ was. Hufflepuff's goblet was in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault, which Sirius would have access to as head of the Black family, since Bellatrix was a member. The diary was hidden at the Malfoy Manor and Sirius would inherit everything if Lucius and his wife were incarcerated, which was yet another plan Harry and Ginny were working on.

Those five horcruxes would be simple enough to get, but the other two wouldn't be so easy. The piece of Voldemort that was in Finley couldn't be dislodged without killing the boy, even if it was only until they could revive him, and neither Harry nor Ginny were happy with that option. The final piece of Voldemort was the one inside Nagini and for as much as they tried, neither of the adult Potters could think of where she might be.

But, they could still work on their other plans, and since these plans had all been laid out, Ginny and Harry were ready to get started.

"How do you think this sounds?" Harry asked as he passed Ginny the third draft of his letter to Remus.

Ginny took it with a tired smile. They'd been at this for hours, trying to get the wording just right. Her eyes skimmed the short paragraphs and took note of all the small inside jokes and bits of information that only someone close to Remus and Sirius would know. As she came to the end of the letter she looked up.

"It's perfect. I'm not saying it will work for sure, but it will at least get him thinking about the possibility. He believed it last time, so I'm sure we'll be able to convince him if he'll only just meet us."

Harry smiled and took the letter from Ginny's hand. He sealed it with a wave of his wand and a silent incantation.

They didn't have an owl so Harry turned the seal on the back of the letter into a portkey and sent the letter directly to Remus, whom they'd found him through the Werewolf registry.

"I have an idea," Ginny said, as she watched the letter disappear out of sight. "I think we should intercept Errol."

"What?" Harry asked, not understanding what good that could possibly do.

"No, listen. We intercept Errol as he leaves the Burrow and say he showed up at our window with someone else's post. Mum will invite us in for tea and you can excuse yourself to the bathroom which just so happens to be right past Percy's room. You get Wormtail and then we can be off."

Harry grinned and pulled Ginny into his arms. "You, my dear, are a genius," he said as he pressed a kiss to her smiling lips.

"Ugh, yuck!" Teddy yelled as he came into the library and saw his parents. "No, Finn stop. You don't want to see this," Teddy said as he pushed Finley out the door, just as the older boy was entering.

Ginny and Harry burst into laughter at their son's antics. "How your parents ever found the time to make so many of you Weasleys I'll never know," commented Harry. "It seems like we can't even manage a kiss without being interrupted."

"Well, when we go there, you can ask them," Ginny said with a straight face as she reluctantly pulled out of Harry's embrace.

"Oh yes, that will go over well. 'Hullo Mrs…. umm what was it, Wesley? However did you manage to have such an immense amount of children? Ah, a sleeping potion in their glass of milk you say? How interesting," Harry joked.

"A sleeping potion? Now that's a good idea," Ginny replied.

Harry grinned at Ginny before going back to their original conversation. "Well now that that's settled, do you want to go kidnap an owl or shall I?"


	12. The Owl

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Title: The Poet's Wish

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Twelve: The Owl

Virginia and Harrison Potts were out with their children, Theo and Phineas, for a perfectly normal walk, thank you very much, when what should happen but a post owl careened into the back of Mr. Potts head. Being such good magical folk as they were, the lifted the dear owl off the ground and healed it as best they would. For some odd reason, even after being healed, the owl would not continue its flight, so Mr. and Mrs. Potts along with their children decided they would do the polite thing and return the owl to its rightful owners. A simple point me spell and the family of four were on their way to an eccentric home set in a peaceful field in the delightful town of Ottery St. Catchpole.

After taking a brief respite to adjust their new faces, thanks to their metamorphmagus abilities, and the family entered the land owned by the Weasley family.

"Are you ready Gin?" Harry asked, realizing the full weight of what he was asking his wife to do. Her entire family had died, some in front of her eyes, and now she was about to walk right into her childhood kitchen and see them all.

"Yes, yes of course. For Sirius. And for us," Ginny said. She looked briefly down at their children, who looked little like their children, and realized that as big as this moment was for she and Harry, it was near to inconsequential for Teddy. He new of these people of course, she and Harry had made sure to tell him of not only of Remus and Tonks family, but also of their own, and yet, he had met so few of them, and remembered even fewer that meeting them again would be the same as meeting strangers.

She took a deep breath and raised her hand to lift the doorknocker. Before her palm came in contact with the door, two nine-year-old red haired rockets shot out from to doorway and crashed into her.

"Omh!" Ginny fell in a pile, her little, older brothers falling down on top of her. She looked up into their dirt-streaked faces and saw the men they would become. The lives these two would save through their inventions would be countless, their impact on the war effort, unknowable. And yet, here they were, two skinny, shaggy haired boys who loved nothing more than playing outside and making mischief for their mother and brothers.

As one, the boys sat back, resting on Ginny's legs as she propped herself up on her elbows to look them over.

"Hello pretty lady," Fred said, dragging the word pretty out a couple extra syllables.

"What brings you to our fine home?" George asked.

"My husband and I found your owl," Ginny said grinning at their antics.

"Oi! She's got a husband, mate," Fred said to George.

"Right bad luck that is," George said in response.

"Your say you've got Errol have you?"

Just as Ginny was about to respond, Molly Weasley came thundering to the doorway.

"Boys! What have I told you about leaving the do…" Molly's tirade died on her lips as she saw her twins sitting on the legs of a strange woman, pinning her to the ground while a man and two younger children looked on.

"Boys! Get off that poor woman this instant!" Molly said as she managed to grab an arm of each boy and pull them up one handed, the other arm full of a little read headed toddler who could be none other than Ginerva Weasley.

By this time, Ginny getting to her feet and Finley was standing half behind Harry, fearful of the loud woman.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what possessed them," Molly said to Ginny as she sent the twins off to the orchard to play.

"It's quite alright, as you can see, I have two of my own. I know how rambunctious they can be."

For the first time, Molly seemed to take notice of the two children who were watching her with big eyes. She looked them over, then Harry, and finally noticed her owl in the man's hands.

"Ah, that must be why you're here then. You've found our owl."

"Yes ma'am," Harry said lifting he owl away from his chest and silently removing the charm to keep him still. The owl flew out of his arms and into the house to settle on his perch by the window.

'Well, come in, come in. It's the least I can do to give you a nice cup of tea and perhaps a snack for the little ones, for all the trouble you've gone to, to bring old Errol back to us."

Harry and Ginny struggled to keep grins off their faces as they accepted the offer. Their plan seemed to be going off without a stich.

Molly set young Ginny down on her feet and the three year old immediately left her mothers side to investigate the new children in her home. While the child did look Teddy over, it seemed as if even in his disguise, Ginny Weasley only had eyes for Harry, now Finley, Potter.

"I'm Ginny," the little girl said to Finley.

"I'm Phineas," Finley said, proud that he remembered his pretend name. "This is my brother, Theo."

"Wanna see my books? I have a book 'bout Harry Potter!" Ginny exclaimed, taking a hand from each boy and pulling them behind her, out of the kitchen and into the living room, but not before both boys could give their parents very confused glances.

_That's going to take some explaining_, Harry thought to himself. He and Ginny both took a seat down at the Weasley dinner table and explained the story they had concocted to explain how they had come into possession of Errol. Molly seemed to believe every word as she set the tea down in front of the couple. As the conversation drifted to other topics, Harry new that it was a good time to start the next phase of their plan.

"Excuse me, but I wonder if I might trouble you for your washroom?" Harry asked as innocently as he could manage.

"Yes, yes of course. It's just up the stairs three flights; you'll see it when you get there."

Harry excused himself with a polite, "thank you" and started up the stair, trying his best to seem as if he hadn't done this a thousand times before. As soon as he rounded the first flight of stairs, he removed a shrunken cage from his pocket and enlarged it, checking the anti-animagus charms as he climbed the stairs. Finally he reached the third floor, but instead of continuing to the end of the hall, he opened the first door on his right and entered Percy's room. To the left of the door sat a small cage, and in the cage was a rat missing a finger on one paw. Harry sent a silent stunner at the rat and quickly transferred it from one cage to the other, making sure to leave the door to the cage open. He new that young Percy would see the open door and either blame a sibling, or conclude that the rat had managed to open it himself, and while he might be sad for a time, at least he would no longer be sharing his room with a murderer.

As much as Harry wanted to drag this part out, perhaps with a few words to Pettigrew about home much the rat would come to regret his decision, Harry new that was opening the situation up to too much risk. Better to do it while the rat was asleep and be certain that everything would go as planned.

Harry shrank the cage down to the size of a small coin and slipped it into his pocket. It was time to collect his family and go free an innocent man.


End file.
